Washington — The latest tobacco product selling online, Zyn, is a little pouch containing nicotine and flavours.
However, it has sparked a controversy among lawmakers, parents, and pundits, reflecting an increasingly complex picture in which Big Tobacco actively promotes alternative products while specialists grapple with their possible benefits and risks.
Zyn is available in mint, coffee, and citrus flavours and is marketed to adult tobacco users by Philip Morris International. However, videos of young people popping the pouches have received millions of views on TikTok and other social media platforms.
Zyn Nicotine Pouches Are All Over TikTok, Sparking Debate Among Politicians And Health Experts
Advocates are concerned that Zyn may become the newest nicotine product to entice underage kids, similar to how Juul sparked a years-long surge in vaping activity. Other scientists contend that the possibility of preventing people from using cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products, which result in 480,000 deaths each year in the United States, balances the risk.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result,” explained Dr. Jasjit Ahluwalia, an addiction specialist at Brown University. “That is how we’ve dealt with tobacco for decades. We’ve been all about abstinence, rather than promoting products that can prevent harm.”
Ahluwalia sees nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes as a means to assist smokers in reducing or quitting smoking.
That strategy is common in the United Kingdom, but it is not part of the medical mainstream in the United States, where only pharmaceutical-grade drugs such as nicotine gum and lozenges are officially allowed to assist smokers in quitting.
According to Ahluwalia, Zyn works like those products do: it releases modest quantities of nicotine, which are absorbed into the gums and reduce cravings. He emphasizes that the main distinction is that Philip Morris, the largest cigarette manufacturer in the world and a longtime foe of anti-smoking organizations, offers Zyn.
The Zyn debate has now spilt over into politics, pitting Democrats and Republicans in Washington against one another and sparking yet another conflict in the country’s culture war.
In late January, Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York urged regulators to look into Zyn, stressing its attraction to teenagers. Several House Republicans then warned residents that “Big Brother” planned to “ban nicotine.”
Tucker Carlson, a Zyn user, joined the fray, stating, “Zyn is not a sin,” praising its unverified benefits, such as “enhancing male vitality and mental acuity.”
Zyn users immediately evolved their online lexicon, which includes terms like “zynnies,” “zynner,” and “zynsky.”
Ollie Ganz, a tobacco and nicotine researcher at Rutgers University, said that there is a young male-led online subculture around Zyn, but much of that is not coming from the brand itself.
Online videos show young people chronicling their first Zyn experiences, comparing different taste combinations, and showcasing heaping stacks of used canisters.
“It’s concerning to see the countless Zyn-related memes and hashtags that are being amplified and normalized across social media,” said Kathy Crosby, CEO of the Truth Initiative, an anti-tobacco advocacy group.
Truth and other groups cite data indicating that nicotine can interfere with adolescent brain development.
The Food and Drug Administration’s responsible for balancing Zyn’s hazards to children with its potential to benefit adults.
According to an FDA representative, the government is monitoring underage use, with 1.5% of high school and middle school students reporting using pouches last year. That is well below the 10% who use e-cigarettes.
Zyn Nicotine Pouches Are All Over TikTok, Sparking Debate Among Politicians And Health Experts
The FDA has allowed Zyn to remain on the market while they assess Philip Morris’ marketing application, which has been waiting since 2020. If teen use continues low, the company may be able to obtain FDA approval for at least part of its products, which are available in several strengths and a dozen flavours.
In 2019, the FDA granted its first reduced-risk classification to a similar product: snus, a tobacco pouch popular in Sweden that has fewer carcinogens than cigarettes. The FDA stated that smokers who switch to snus lessen their risk of lung cancer, bronchitis, and other ailments.
Zyn eliminates the tobacco leaves contained in snus, leaving only nicotine, which Philip Morris claims boosts its attractiveness.
“People may be hesitant to switch to an oral tobacco product if they believe it is similar to traditional chewing tobacco,” business spokesman Corey Henry explained. “Consumer acceptability is a big part of Zyn.”
Henry says Philip Morris does not market Zyn through internet influencers or endorsements. The website is only available to people over the age of 21. Flavours such as cinnamon and peppermint are “familiar to adults,” Henry added.
Zyn launched in the United States in 2014, but sales have skyrocketed in the last year, producing $1.8 billion as shipments increased by more than 60% yearly.
On a November call with retailers, a firm executive described the rise as “gonzo” and “lights out.”
“I did not see this coming. “I don’t know anyone who did,” said Joseph Teller, the head of oral tobacco products.
Zyn Nicotine Pouches Are All Over TikTok, Sparking Debate Among Politicians And Health Experts
Zyn’s advertisements emphasize the pouches’ unobtrusive and convenient nature as a “smoke-free,” “spit-free” alternative for smokers “at work” or “on the move.”
However, to achieve the company’s claimed objective of a “smoke-free future,” Zyn will need to assist customers in completely quitting cigarettes rather than cycling between them.
There is limited research on switching, and preliminary findings show there may be better solutions than pouches.
Researchers at Ohio State University recently discovered that it took smokers 30 minutes to an hour to receive enough nicotine from Zyn to satisfy their cravings. Cigarette smokers achieved the same nicotine levels—and relief—in five minutes.
“The pouches we studied, especially those with lower nicotine concentrations, did not appear to meet the needs of smokers,” stated study leader Brittney Keller-Hamilton. “That being said, they didn’t totally flop either.”
For the time being, smokers who have found success with Zyn are hoping it remains available.
Last spring, while working as a bartender in Portland, Oregon, Justin Wafer, 39, was smoking one pack every day. On hectic days, he would vape instead of taking a smoke break.
But, when his reloadable electronic cigarette failed in May, he tried Zyn. He now pops a pouch every three to four hours and claims to have not smoked in over nine months.
“I don’t see how it’s any different from pharmaceutical solutions like lozenges or gum,” he said. “Except it’s easier to get and tastes better.”
SOURCE – (AP)
